That led to reps in last season's Sugar Bowl a couple weeks
later, and 161 total yards and two scores later, the rest of the
nation witnessed, too.

While he burst on the scene in New Orleans last year, Henry comes
back more polished and with a defined role: When it's time to clinch
a game, enter the 6-foot-3, 241-pound tailback who has become the
Crimson Tide's closer.

"It's just like that. To have somebody that big, that fast and
that isn't the starter, so by the time you get to the fourth
quarter, he's not at 20-25 carries. It's closer, it's almost like
baseball," offensive coordinator Lane Kiffin said. "It's like having
the closer in the end that can come in that's fresh, but what's
different in baseball than football, now you've got these tired guys
that have been chasing T.J. around and chasing Amari Cooper all
game."

Henry has averaged 5.6 yards per carry this season, but zoom in
on crunch time: according to offensive metrics compiled by The
Tuscaloosa News, he averages 6.9 yards per carry in the second half
and 7.4 yards per carry in the fourth quarter.

And in SEC play, he's even better. Henry is averaging a gaudy 7.9
yards per carry in the fourth quarter of conference games.

"Whatever I can do to help the team win, that's what I'm for,"
Henry said. "I just like playing, really. It's a game I love when I
get a chance to get out there, I just want to go out there and make
plays."

After Henry's monster game in the loss to Oklahoma, many wondered
why Henry, an elite recruit who seems too big to run that fast,
backed up the hype with a huge game in his first significant playing
time of the year.

Burns said he was asked about that constantly throughout the
offseason. …

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